Rumor has it the Dodge Charger was inspired by the success of the Ford Mustang but was built on an intermediate platform rather than a compact. The car was moderately successful in its first two years but took off when all the Chrysler mid-sized cars were redesigned in 1968. The R/T was the performance edition, with a 440 cubic inch V8 as standard equipment. This ’68 R/T needs a lot of work and has a 4-speed transmission. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, the Dodge can be found here on eBay where the bidding is up to $13,000 in a no reserve auction.
When the Charger was redesigned, steps were made to further differentiate it from the grocery-getter Coronet. The rear end featured a “kick up” spoiler appearance, and the fastback roof was gone, replaced with a “flying buttress” like that of the 1966-67 Pontiac GTO. The car kept its full-width hidden headlight grille, but they were now opened and closed by a vacuum-operated cover. The new R/T, which stood for Road/Track, had a tweaked suspension, and the only powerplant option was the 426 Hemi.
Sales took off for 1968 with more than 92,000 Chargers being built and 17,000 of those were the R/T, like the seller’s car. It was white over blue when new, with a white interior and a matching Bumblebee strip running across the back. The seller acknowledges that most all the sheet metal will either need repair or replacement because of years of rusting. So, if you’re going to restore this auto, get your body shop guys on speed dial sooner rather than later.
The engine is not original to the car but is the correct displacement and is from 1967. It’s not stuck, so perhaps it will turn over with the proper type of coaxing. We’re not sure if the 4-speed is original, but the seller believes the Dana 60 rear end is with its 3.54 gears. While it has power steering, the brakes are manual drums that will give you a workout when stopping. The interior is going to take up a fair amount of the restoration budget as it looks as though everything has given up the ghost. The glass is all good except for the windshield.
A nice Charger R/T can be a high-dollar car, but it’s going to take a sizeable investment to get there. The nameplate gained notoriety when a black ’68 Charger R/T participated in a wild chase scene in the movie Bullitt that had Steve McQueen pursuing one through the streets of San Francisco. He was behind the wheel of a green Ford Mustang GT.
There is a member here who says: “Gentlemen and Mopar freaks, get your wallets out…we have another stratosphere priced Mopar…!”
I thought the 440 was the standard engine in the R/T, and the Hemi was optional…the seller states “needs and deserves a full restoration”…true, but after looking at the pictures, parts car comes to mind…
And what parts would those be?
There was never a Mopar built where the only engine option was the 426 Hemi. Even the Charger 500 and Daytona offered the 440 as well as the Hemi.
The 440 was a better engine for street use. The Hemi was never fully tamed.
The seller loves those wheels. He’s had several cars featured on this site before, when these wheels are on it, they aren’t included.
Steve R
must have a pit crew with tetanus shots to swap them out.
Yeah, you wouldn’t expect this rust bucket to come with garden variety mags for a mere 13 large!
Check the prices of slot mags on eBay, an unrestored pair of 15×10’s with a 5×4 1/2 bolt pattern will typically sell between $400-500, with a pair of unrestored 15×8’s between $200-400, plus shipping on top. That’s pretty good money for garden variety mags.
Steve R
Seeing the way he is about the wheels/tires and likely other things, why would I ever buy anything from this dbag?
Personally, to me this looks a parts donor for a more solid platform. At $13K already, the final bid cost and additional restoration costs is going to put someone DEEP underwater (IMO). GLWTA!! :-)
Nearly all of these Mopars look like they had a gallon of hydrochloric acid dumped all over them yet for some ungodly reason they still get high prices. Hard to figure.
In a sense, they did. Acid rain and road salt.
#1 rule of car restoration is to never purchase rust.
#2 rule of car restoration is to purchase only steel.
Rule #3 is go back to Rules 1&2 if in doubt.
Bob
Hard to see much other than a parts car here.
I would redo the interior,add a cage,fix the floors and just drive the crap out of it patina and all
The one that hit the gas pumps in Bullitt was probably in better shape.
A quick question; Why didn’t Dodge make a 1968 Charger Convertible?
Such as this custom creation: https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles/2090-tpa/1968-dodge-charger-custom-convertible
I don’t think I have ever once wondered why Dodge never made a Charger convertible, and I love convertibles. Now that I have seen this picture it seems like a no brainer they should have made one!
I am 65 years young. Most of the 68 Chargers in my town looked like this in 1976. Beat to death, smoked in, driven all the time because then a 68 Charger was just a used heap of crap on a used car lot for $800. Sad sight for sure. Ship this Titantic to Mark Worman and go broke. Anything can be restored if you are stupid enough.
Again with the negative waves , Moriarity !
Where I grew up, most 8-10 year old cars were worn out rusty heaps. My first derby car in 1979 was a fully loaded 71 Country Squire. I paid 50 bucks for it. Can you imagine taking an 8 year old car and putting it in a demo derby ? That’s just they way it was , after about 10 years the cars had no value.
I dont know why you want to call someone who restores a car “stupid” . Many people restore cars, furniture , even houses and I’m sure they all dont make profits, some just do it because its something they’ve always wanted, or for a hobby. There is a guy who restores really beat up old Tonka trucks. He sandblasts , primes, powder coats, – in some cases he makes his own reproduction glass for them, and its all his equipment and he doesn’t sell anything, so there’s no profit for him, he does it because he can , and he likes to do it. I wouldn’t call anyone stupid doing something that makes them happy.
Again with the negative waves , Moriarity !
My list of most desired cars is a 49-51 Mercury coupe/convert, 37-41 Willys coupe, 39-40 Mercury coupe/convert and 68 Chargers. I’ve had a bunch, but this is a $2500.00-$3500.00 car due only to the fact it still has the Dana and 4sp setup. You would need EVERY piece of sheet metal made and interior pieces and mechanical parts. Spend 90k restoring a maybe $60,000.00 car that is mostly Chinese sheet metal.
Where I grew up, most 8-10 year old cars were worn out rusty heaps. My first derby car in 1979 was a fully loaded 71 Country Squire. I paid 50 bucks for it. Can you imagine taking an 8 year old car and putting it in a demo derby ? That’s just they way it was , after about 10 years the cars had no value.
I dont know why you want to call someone who restores a car “stupid” . Many people restore cars, furniture , even houses and I’m sure they all dont make profits, some just do it because its something they’ve always wanted, or for a hobby. There is a guy who restores really beat up old Tonka trucks. He sandblasts , primes, powder coats, – in some cases he makes his own reproduction glass for them, and its all his equipment and he doesn’t sell anything, so there’s no profit for him, he does it because he can , and he likes to do it. I wouldn’t call anyone stupid doing something that makes them happy.